I use Cronometer and it has been great for tracking. I try and follow the macro guidelines as best as I can for protein and fats and I fluctuate the carbs more depending upon activity level. I weigh most things and estimate things like sauces etc. If I’m over on my estimates one day then I am as likely to be a little under another which should balance out over the course of a week. I then calibrate my caloric intake off of regular weigh ins under as close to the same conditions as possible. Worrying about being over or under by a bit here or there would make the whole endeavor impossible. Even the tools for measuring have a margin of error. I think it I try and measure and estimate the same way and do weekly weigh ins that tracking now becomes a useful practice.
I think measuring & logging works in 2 scenarios:
- If one eats mainly packed & labled (and with that heavily processed) food → no-go
- If one has a number of pre-planned meals or even whole days which you repeat again and again → certainly better than above, depending of the quality of your recipes
This whole eyeballing might work for people who actually don’t even need to diet, i.e., they don’t have any overeating issues. I dare to say that close to everyone else will heavily underestimate the amount of food he eats.
So what’s left from here?
- Ozempic etc.
- Minimum kcal-days where you just hit your protein target with lean chicken and elsewise stick to your fishoil and low kcal dense veggies.
E.g. 1 day per week, to offset the other 6 days of the week which are hopefully at maintenance or only slightly above. Needs to be carefully fit between training days. As you hit you kcal minimum, there is no need to log anything
I’m going to give it a proper go. In my 50s now and can confirm it’s not getting easier.
Sometimes I hear Kyle give different targets/ranges for protein and fat, but the latest ones I’m using are 1.7g protein and 1.3g fat per kg (+/- 0.1g/kg).
I am tracking with MFP since consistent tracking seems to work well for moving my weight down. Just vibe eating doesn’t seem to work.
Getting the protein takes a little focus. I use a protein powder in my morning smoothie, and sometimes a scoop with water in the evening. Then targeting good portions of meat at lunch and dinner.
Getting the fat is downright difficult. The goal of 1.3g per target kg is 117g for me. It’s a real paradigm shift. With the heart disease in my family, I was into the low fat world view for some time. But if he’s saying those fat grams are important for hormone turnover, that perks my ears up as a masters athlete.
Things I wouldn’t necessarily think fit in an athlete’s diet that actually do… Double cheeseburger (with a veggie side). Big scoop of guacamole on my burrito bowl. Handful of almonds, peanut butter, olive oil shots 
One of the practical takeaways from this podcast was him describing what meals to focus on the additional carbs to support training - the two meals ahead of the big effort. Then if you fueled properly you shouldn’t feel too depleted afterwards. You can back off the carbs (if you aren’t repeating a hard effort the next day) and the shelves will restock with carbs just fine.
Also getting raw veggies with every meal, cooked veggies with most meals, reaching for lower glycemic carb sources.
Don’t forget to get good sleep and keep life stress under control.
I think it’s the mental load for me.
I was excited to hear the podcast because they start off saying don’t do anything you can’t do forever. I’ve heard enough and read enough to know that there’s probably nothing new In going to learn but you never know. Then they mentioned macros and I was like oh.. . Maybe I’m just a bit burnt out but with a stressful career and a 9 month old getting training in in general is a win. Much less adding that to the plate. But I see that’s a me issue as many others have no issues with it.
I’ve also learned that me at my lightest is not me at my strongest so I did agree when they said your body finds its place.
It also works well if you’re eating lots of single ingredient dishes or components. You don’t need heavily processed foods or a strict routine
Having a kitchen and pantry stocked with easy to measure and vary ingredients can provide a simpler structure for decent measuring
No, there’s really not when we’re talking about the tiny margins being recommended these days for weight loss. 300 to 500 cals off is an easy slip and that’s the difference between a day that you stay on target and a day that you’re off.
I’ve sort of implemented Dr. P’s recommendations without micromanaging everything. I intermittently fast on days with no morning workouts and watch my carbs on days that are easy days. On my hard days I will eat more carbs the evening before and the meal before my hard workout. I supplement with whey protein to make sure I am upping my protein intake. That’s it and I have lost about 10 pounds in 2 months.
So given you eat 4 or so meals a day you consume 4 ingredients? Hm, not up to my healthy eating standards at least.
That’s not what I said
If you’re stocked on quinoa, chicken breast, and broccoli then those are all single ingredient things you can make into a meal
The ease of measuring and then the varying being the key components
More examples could be sweet potatoes, beets, rice, pork tenderloin, salmon, etc. The list is literally endless
couldn’t disagree with this comment, or any of your other comments, more. you “waste your time” logging because you want accurate and measurable results..why else would you do it? you are talking to a forum of people who use data to inform many other aspects of their training through a power meter or HR strap or TSS, CTL, etc etc. i couldn’t recommend a period of food tracking more if you are considering taking your training or weight loss seriously.
You clearly missed my point…which is that guessing does not provide the above
Exactly. You don’t guess your power or HR, you measure it.